March 2011 Monthly Forecast

• Aide Memoire

  Important matters pending include: In October 2009 the Council renewed the mandate of the panel of experts of the Security Council Sudan Sanctions Committee in resolution 1891 and requested the panel to submit a final report on its findings and... Read more

• Notable Dates

  Notable dates for March 2011. Read more

• Status Update

  Status Update of Security Council Activity in February 2011. Read more

• Sierra Leone

  The head of the UNIPSIL, Michael von der Schulenburg, is expected to brief the Council in March on UNIPSIL’s work over the past six months. The report of the Secretary-General will be published in mid-March. The briefing is likely to be followed by closed consultations. Read more

• Lebanon

  In March Council members are expected to hold consultations on the Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of resolution 1701, which in August 2006 called for a cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams is expected to brief. Read more

• Afghanistan

  The Council is expected to extend the mandate of UNAMA, for a further 12 months ahead of the expiry of its mandate on 23 March. Read more

• Cyprus

  In March, the Secretary-General’s special adviser on Cyprus, Alexander Downer, will brief Council members in informal consultations on the Secretary-General’s good-offices report expected by the end of February. It is unclear whether the Council will take any action following the consultations. The mandate of the UNFICYP expires on 15 June. Read more

• Côte d’Ivoire

  In March the situation in Côte d’Ivoire will continue to be a focus for Council members. The proposals from the AU’s high-level panel for the resolution of the crisis in Côte d’Ivoire are due by 28 March, and a report from the Secretary-General on the work of UNOCI is due by 31 March. Read more

• Sudan

  In March the Council is scheduled to receive a report from the new chair of the Sudan Sanctions Committee, Colombia’s Ambassador, Néstor Osorio, and the Sudan Sanctions Committee expects to receive a report from its panel of experts by 31 March. Read more

• Iran

  The Council is expected to receive a briefing from the chair of the 1737 Sanctions Committee on Iran in March. (The chair typically briefs the Council every ninety days; this will be the first briefing by the current chair, Ambassador Néstor Osorio of Colombia.) An IAEA report on Iran's compliance with Council resolutions is also expected before the briefing. Read more

• Somalia

  In March, at the initiative of China, the Council is expected to hold an open debate on Somalia with the participation of the Secretary-General. The Somali government and the AU have also been invited to speak. A presidential statement seems likely. A key objective for the debate is to demonstrate a more strategic Council approach to the issue of Somalia. Read more

• Liberia

  The head of the UNMIL, Ellen Margrethe Løj, and the chair of the Liberia configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), the Permanent Representative of Jordan, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein, are expected to brief on the situation in Liberia.It is also possible that some decision formalising the withdrawal of UNMIL’s military guard force from the Special Court of Sierra Leone’s premises in Freetown, Sierra Leone will be considered. Read more

• Overview

  China will hold the presidency in March. In an effort to ensure a more strategic Council approach to the Somaliaissues, China is planning to organise an open debate on the situation. Statements by the Secretary-General are also likely. A presidential... Read more